Tool holder assembly

ABSTRACT

A tool holder assembly comprising a base holder and upper receiving member adapted to be releasably mounted in spaced relation on the boom of a truck or crane body, with a bucket or personnel carrier being attached to the free end of the boom for carrying out necessary repairs to utility lines and the like. The base holder has mounted therein a spring which can be depressed by a &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;hot stick&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; or the like used in making the necessary repairs. The upper receiving member or holder is formed to receive the upper end of the stick when the same has been properly oriented with the upper receiver. When released, the spring biases the stick into the upper holder to releasably retain the stick in the tool holder assembly.

United States Patent [1 1 Fratta [111 3,759,472 1 Sept. 18, 1973 [76] Inventor:

[ TOOL HOLDER ASSEMBLY Peter J. Fratta, 9127 Alcona St., Lanham, Md. 20801 Primary Examiner-William Hfschu ltz Att0rneyDonald D. Jeffery [5 7] ABSTRACT A tool holder assembly comprising a base holder and upper receiving member adapted to be releasably mounted in spaced relation on the boom of a truck or crane body, with a bucket or personnel carrier being attached to the free end of the boom for carrying out necessary repairs to utility lines and the like. The base holder has mounted therein a spring which can be de pressed by a hot stick or the like used in making the necessary repairs. The upper receiving member or holder is formed to receive the upper end of the stick when the same has been properly oriented with the upper receiver. When released, the spring biases the stick into the upper holder to releasably retain the stick in the tool holder assembly.

5 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures" TOOL HOLDER ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally as indicated to a tool holder assembly. It relates more particularly to a tool holder assembly finding particularly advantageous use when mounted on booms of personnel carriers or buckets which are now commonly used by repair personnel of utility companies for repairing utility lines and connecting equipment.

in the maintenance of utility lines, junction boxes and related equipment, the lifting of repairmen quickly and safely to the trouble spot has been greatly facilitated through the relatively recent development of personnel carriers. These commonly include a crane or truck support, a boom operated from the truck body, and a bucket carrier at the top of the boom in which one or more repairmen can position themselves for completing the necessary repairs. The direction and orientation of the buckets can be controlled either from the truck body or from the buckets themselves thereby permitting the person or persons making the necessary repairs to position themselves at the optimum location for carrying out such repairs.

In equipment of the type described, the person or persons in the bucket have usually carried with them the equipment needed to make the necesary repairs, and frequently the holding of such equipment, which is occasionally rather large and cumbersome, has adversely effected the ability of those persons to carry out such repairs with greatest efficiency. A typical such piece of equipment frequently carried by the repairman is a rod like member which is referred to by those skilled in the art as a hot stick, which is used, among other things, to disconnect fuses and the like from the utility lines and junctions. These hot sticks are .commonly quite long, for example 8 feet, so as to provide the required distance from the repairman to the equipment for'safety reasons. When the stick is not in use when the bucket is elevated for carrying out the necessary repair, the stick is normally supported loosely in the bucket, which presents a distinct safety hazard in the event the stick is inadvertently dropped from the bucket onto personnel working below.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION With the above in mind, the principal object of the present invention is to provide a tool holder assembly which can be quickly and adjustably mounted on the boom of the crane or truck for retention while the boom and bucket are being elevated, with. the tool holder being constructed and arranged to permit the stick or rod to be quickly released therefrom when the same is desired to be used. Following such use, the stick can be quickly and easily positioned in the tool holder assembly and retained therein while the bucket is being lowered and until further use of the stick is required.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a tool holder assembly comprising two separate parts or sections which are mounted directly on the boom and spaced so as to releasably retain the stick when the same is mounted therebetween. To mount the stick in the tool holder assembly, the bottom of the stick is aligned with the bottom member or base holder, and thereafter moved downwardly to depress a spring positioned in the base holder. The upper end of the stick is then oriented to align a pin carried by the upper end of the stick with a slot formed in the upper holding member, with subsequent release of the stick permitting the stick to be biased upwardly by the spring and the base holder to firmly, resiliently retain the stick in the tool holder assembly.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a tool holder assembly which can be manufactured at very low cost and which can be installed with equal facility on both present and new equipment. A related object resides in the provision of a separate, two part assembly permitting easy adjustment of the separate members in spaced'relat.ion with each other, thereby to accommodate sticks or the like of varying length.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent as the description proceeds, in particular reference to the application drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the application drawings, FIG. 1 is a side elevational view illustrating a typical b oom and bucket attached at the upper end thereof, with the tool holder assembly of the present invention being shown DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now in more detail to the application drawing, wherein like parts are indicated by like reference numerals, a power boom is generally indicated at 10 and has attached to its upper end a bucket 12 in which a person or persons can stand for carrying out the line repair. Although not shown in the drawing, it will be understood that the lower end of the boom is suitably attached to a truck or the like from which the boom can be elevated or horizontally moved in the desired direction to position the bucket 12 at the optimum location relative to the line to be repaired. The boom 10 and bucket 12 are of conventional construction and form no part of the present invention, and have been illustrated merely to provide a better understanding of the present invention and a typical installation thereof.

The tool holder assembly of the present invention includes a bottom member or base holder generally indicated at 14 and an upper holder or receiving member generally'indicated at 16. The base holder in the form shown is generally cylindrical and includes an annular side wall 18 and an integral bottom wall 20, with the opposite end of the cylinder being open and terminating in an outwardly flared mouth portion 22, with the flared construction being for the purpose of facilitating entry of the stick or rod 24 into the base holder. Positioned within the base holder is a coil spring 26 the bot- I tom of which engages the closed end 20 of the holder face of the holder and the top of the plate 28 can be provided with suitable insulating material.

The upper holder 16 in the form shown comprises an inverted cylinder including an annular side wall 32 and an integral end 34. The opposite end of the holder 16 is open to receive the upper end of the stick 24. In the region of the upper holder 16 generally opposite the boom 10, an elongated slot 36 is formed for receiving a pin 38 having an enlarged, conical shaped point 39, the pin 38 being attached to a collar 40 which in in turn carried by the upper end of the stick 24. The pin additionally functions as a tool for performing many of the normal repair functions, such as fuse connect and disconnect, switch disconnect, and related uses. Where other shaped tools are desired to be used, the collar 40 can be removed and replaced by another collar carrying a tool of the desired shape.

Mounted on the base holder 14 at one side thereof in spaced relation to the annular side wall is a flange or collar 44 of generally C-shape in cross section, formed with openings commonly designated at 46 in the areas generally representing the side walls thereof. Extending through such openings 46 are straps commonly designated at 48 for rigidly mounting the base holder to the boom 10. Although not shown, the straps 48 are preferably provided with a mechanism for adjusting the degree of tightness of the straps about the boom for firmly mounting the base holder in place while at the same time permitting loosening of the straps for longitudinal adjustment of the base holderalong the length of the boom. To remove the base holder 14 entirely, the straps 48 are simply removed from the boom and the straps withdrawn from the collar or flange 44.

The upper holder 16 is similarly provided with a flange or collar 50 formed with openings 52 which receive therethrough a strap 54 for rigidly mounting the upper holder to the boom. The upper holder 16 is positioned or spaced relative to the base holder 14 to receive therebetween in a releasably mounted manner the stick 24. The strap 54 can be loosened and the holder 16 moved longitudinally on the boom 10 to achieve the desired spacing, with the strap 54 being thereafter tightened to maintain the upper holder 16 in proper position.

The manner in which the tool holder assembly of the present invention is installed and used should be apparent from the above description. The holders l4 and 16 are mounted on theboom inspaced relation by the straps 48 and 54, respectively. To mount the stick 24 in the tool holder assembly, the stick is extended through the flared opening 22 of the base holder into engagement with the plate 28, with continued downward movement of the stick lowering the plate 28 and compressing the spring 26. The stick 24 is lowered until the top thereof clears the bottom of the upper holder 16, with the pin 38 when the stick 24 is in such position being aligned with the vertical slot 36. The downward pressure on the stick 24 is then released, with the compression spring 26, acting through the plate 28, thereafter elevating the stick 24 until the pin 38 contacts the bottom of the slot 36, in which position the stick 24 is firmly, but releasably, mounted in the tool holder assembly. The stick 24 is carried in this position when the boom 10 and bucket 12 are raised to position the repairman adjacent the area in which the repair is to be made.

When the stick 24 is required to be used, the same can be grasped and pressed downwardly to clear the pin 38 from the slot 36, after which the stick 24 can be disaligned from the upper holder 16 and the stick raised from the base holder 14 for use as needed. After the necessary repair has been made, the stick 24 can be reinserted in the tool holder assembly as above described before the bucket is lowered thereby eliminating the need for manual handling of the stick 24 and avoiding inadvertent dropping of the same on personnel working below.

Although not illustrated in the application drawing, it will be understood that the upper holder 16 and the base holder 14 can be provided with insulating material as required to meet local safety codes.

I claim:

1. A holder assembly for releasably retaining an elongated rod or the like on a carrier such as a boom or the like comprising:

a. an open ended base holder having positioned in the closed end thereof a spring for biasing such rod outwardly of said base when disposed therein,

b. strap means adapted to adjustably mount said base holder on the carrier,

c. an upper receiving member adapted to receive such rod when the same is properly oriented, said receiving member being open at least at the end thereof facing said base holder, said receiving member being formed with a slotextending longitudinally therein a substantial distance along the length of said receiving member, said slot being adapted to receive means formed on such rod for limiting the penetration of such rod in said receiving member when such meansengages the bottom of said slot under the bias of said spring, and

d. strap means adapted to adjustably mount said receiving member on such carrier,

the base holder and receiving member being spaced to receive and retain such rod, with the latter being retained therebetween by first depressing said spring by the adjacent end of such rod, effecting alignment of said means formed on such rod with the slot formed in said receiving member, and thereafter releasing such rod thereby anchoring the ends of such rod in said base holder and receiving member.

2. The holder assembly of claim 1 wherein the open end of said base holder is outwardly flared to facilitate entry of the rod in the base holder, and a plate is positioned in the base holder above said spring for engagement by the bottom of such rod for effecting the desired alignment of such rod in the upper receiving member.

3. The holder assembly of claim 1 further including collar means mounted on said base holder and upper receiving member for receiving said strap means, said collar means serving to space said base holder and upper receiving member from the associated carrier to permit loosening of said strap means and movement of said base holder and upper receiving member on the boom relative to each other to obtain the desired spacing thereof.

4. A holder assembly for releasably retaining an elongated rod or the like on a carrier such as a boom or the like comprising:

b. means for adjustably mounting said base holder on d. means for adjustably mounting said receiving member on such carrier,

said base holder and receiving member beng spaced to receive and retain such rod, with the latter being retained therebetween by first depressing said spring by the adjacent end of such rod, effecting alignment of said means formed on such rod with the slot formed in said receiving member, and thereafter releasing such rod thereby anchoring the ends of such rod in said base holder and receiving member. 5. A holder assembly for releasably retaining an elongated rod or the like on a carrier such as a boom or the 5 like comprising: 1

a. an open ended base holder having positioned in the closed end thereof a spring for biasing such rod outwardly on said base when disposed therein,

b. strap means adapted to adjustably mount said base holder on the carrier,

c. an upper holder adapted to receive such rod when the same is properly oriented, said upper holder being open at least at the end thereof facing said base holder and being of sufficient diameter to receive the upper end of such rod.

d. strap means adapted to adjustably mount said upper holder on such carrier,

the base holder and upper holder being spaced to receive and retain such rod, with the latter being retained therebetween by first depressing said spring in said base holder by the adjacent end of such rod, effecting alignment of such rod with upper holder, and thereafter releasing such rod thereby retaining the ends of such rod in said base and upper holders. 

1. A holder assembly for releasably retaining an elongated rod or the like on a carrier such as a boom or the like comprising: a. an open ended base holder having positioned in the closed end thereof a spring for biasing such rod outwardly of said base when disposed therein, b. strap means adapted to adjustably mount said base holder on the carrier, c. an upper receiving member adapted to receive such rod when the same is properly oriented, said receiving member being open at least at the end thereof facing said base holder, said receiving member being formed with a slot extending longitudinally therein a substantial distance along the length of said receiving member, said slot being adapted to receive means formed on such rod for limiting the penetration of such rod in said receiving member when such means engages the bottom of said slot under the bias of said spring, and d. strap means adapted to adjustably mount said receiving member on such carrier, the base holder and receiving member being spaced to receive and retain such rod, with the latter being retained therebetween by first depressing said spring by the adjacent end of such rod, effecting alignment of said means formed on such rod with the slot formed in said receiving member, and thereafter releasing such rod thereby anchoring the ends of such rod in said base holder and receiving member.
 2. The holder assembly of claim 1 wherein the open end of said base holder is outwardly flared to facilitate entry of the rod in the base holder, and a plate is positioned in the base holder above said spring for engagement by the bottom of such rod for effecting the desired alignment of such rod in the upper receiving member.
 3. The holder assembly of claim 1 further including collar means mounted on said base holder and upper receiving member for receiving said strap means, said collar means serving to space said base holder and upper receiving member from the associated carrier to permit loosening of said strap means and movement of said base holder and upper receiving member on the boom relative to each other to obtain the desired spacing thereof.
 4. A holder assembly for releasably retaining an elongated rod or the like on a carrier such as a boom or the like comprising: a. an open ended base holder having positioned in the closed end thereof a spring for biasing such rod outwardly of said base when disposed therein, b. means for adjustably mounting said base holder on the carrier, c. an upper receiving member adapted to receive such rod when the same is properly oriented, said receiving member being open at least at the end thereof facing said base holder, said receiving member being formed with a slot extending longitudinally therein a substantial distance along the length of said receiving member, said slot being adapted to receive means formed on such rod for limiting the penetration of such rod in said receiving member when such means engages the bottom of said slot under the bias of said spring, and d. means for adjustably mounting said receiving member on such carrier, said base holder and receiving member beng spaced to receive and retain such rod, with the latter being retained therebetween by first depressing said spring by the adjacent end of such rod, effecting alignment of said means formed on such rod with the slot formed in said receiving member, and thereafter releasing such rod thereby anchoring the ends of such rod in said base holder and receiving member.
 5. A holder assembly for releasably retaining an elongated rod or the like on a carrier such as a boom or the like comprising: a. an open ended base holder having positioned in the closed end thereof a spring for biasing such rod outwardly on said base when disposed therein, b. strap means adapted to adjustably mount said base holder on the carrier, c. an upper holder adapted to receive such rod when the same is properly oriented, said upper holder bEing open at least at the end thereof facing said base holder and being of sufficient diameter to receive the upper end of such rod. d. strap means adapted to adjustably mount said upper holder on such carrier, the base holder and upper holder being spaced to receive and retain such rod, with the latter being retained therebetween by first depressing said spring in said base holder by the adjacent end of such rod, effecting alignment of such rod with upper holder, and thereafter releasing such rod thereby retaining the ends of such rod in said base and upper holders. 